Sweet Melody || Taennie [Completed]

CHAPTER TWENTY

TAEHYUNG

I brushed my palms together and held the hot compress inside the pocket of my brown leather jacket. I'm here outside Jennie's house, waiting for her to come out. We're going somewhere I know she would like.

Jerusalem is her dream destination and that's the only goal she wanted to achieve‒ written on her bucket list, but I can't take her there since it's miles away. And besides, we won free tickets to travel there but we can only use them after the school year. Jennie said she'll wait for it to come.

My face brightened up when I saw her opened their front door. She's wearing a black crop top with a "don't touch my man" print on the front covered with her gray cardigan and paired with a white high waist skirt. She waved her hands at me, and I saw her father looked at me intensely.

I walked towards her to help her carry her white leather mini-shoulder bag, but she shook her head and made her way into the car. She hopped in without hesitation and motioned me to enter too. I looked at her father and bowed down before hopping on the driver's seat.

"Where are we going, Taehyung?" she asked.

I noticed that her hair was braided and it has a black ribbon on the end. She looks like a middle schooler in her outfit, but it's fine because she's cute.

"Just wait and see," I said then winked at her.

She nodded then looked at the rearview mirror. She removed the ribbon from her hair and left her hair down in a wavy form. The scent of her shampoo filled the whole car that's why she looked at me and gave me a peace sign.

"Daddy braided my hair so people might think that I'm just your sister," she explained without taking her eyes off the mirror.

"Is it weird that I'm scared of your dad?" I asked.

"Why? He's not a ghost though," she said.

I turned to her and see that she's tying her hair again but in a pony this time. She bit the black ribbon as she put all her hair together in one place. I think I saw that ribbon before, I just don't know where.

"Stop staring at me while driving, you're gonna get us killed." I looked straight ahead when I heard her. She's so serious right now, and she's far different from Jennie Kim who's so jolly in school.

After a long drive, we decided to stop by at a fast-food restaurant we saw on the way. Jennie ordered the usual‒ spaghetti, chicken, and pineapple juice. She was so quiet even when we're already eating, and she kept on looking at her phone.

"Bored?" I asked, and finally, she looked at me.

"Just irritated, my father kept on texting me. He wanted me to update him every minute and record all of it." She rolled her eyes and drinks on her pineapple juice.

Jennie didn't want to say it straightly but her father didn't trust me at all. Seokjin said that Jennie's father got so very disappointed when he saw my bruises all over my face when I first visited them. I understand them though, neither I will trust my daughter to someone who got caught up in a fight.

After our lunch, I brought Jennie to a place far different from Jerusalem. It is a relaxing place though, for those who want to refresh and forget their problem for a while. People called this place the Garden of Eden, just like in the bible. No, this is not where Adam and Eve took a bite of that apple. This is just a simple garden full of various trees and flowers.

I pulled Jennie on one of the cottages using my right hand and I carried my guitar on my left hand. I'm going to do play the instrumental she wrote in her notebook. It took me hours to realize the chords and I hope it will go well today.

"You want me to sing the song I wrote?" she asked, and then chuckled nervously.

"Why not? I rented this whole place so there's nothing to shy about," I said then flashed my gummy smile.

"I didn't say I'm shy, it's just that..." She looked on the ground and played with her fingers. "... it's not finished yet."

"It's fine, I'll just play the chorus." I positioned the guitar in front of me and looked at her.

A small smile crept on my face when she took a big gulp. She's nervous.

I started strumming the guitar. I don't know the lyrics of this song because she didn't put it in her notebook, I guess she just memorized it or it was written on her other notebooks.

"Days get longer, nights get darker, please don't go away." I was mesmerized when she started singing her song. It's like she made this one dedicated to herself.

"And my heart beats faster, I pray a little harder, please just choose to stay." I badly want to say the same thing to her. I want her to stay and I promise that I won't let her down.

"Don't you even ask me why, you're the only one." I looked at her as she sings the song. She was also looking at me and she flashed a sad smile.

"So just take my hand, stay with me." The last part of her song made me taken aback. I know now, I definitely know now.

That song wasn't for her, it was for me. It's like she's saying that even though she's going to leave someday I must stay with her until the end. This melody is her only way to tell what she really felt inside. This melody is her escape from her reality.

I leaned forward and looked at her with boring passion eyes. Her eyes were telling me something I couldn't fathom and the way she sighs, I know that there's something wrong.

"Can I kiss you?" I asked with a shallow voice as she looked down.

She slowly nodded and played her fingers nervously. I lifted her chin gently and looked at her in the eyes.

"I like you so much, Jennie Kim." I pressed my lips on hers and she responded to my kisses with delight. She's my first, and she will be my last.